This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 14, 2009 - St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley's largest single donation received so far came today, and thus won't appear on the campaign-finance reports due Wednesday. The donor is multi-millionaire Rex Sinquefield, of St. Louis and Westphalia, Mo., who gave $30,000 to Dooley today, according to the candidate's filing with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
A spokeswoman said Sinquefield's donation doesn't mean that he's supporting Dooley's re-election next year. And it's too soon to tell if the multi-millionaire might also follow the practice of some major donors and also give money to the likely Republican challenger, Republican Bill Corrigan.
The donation won't appear on the campaign-finance report due Wednesday because that report will cover campaign activity from April 1 through June 30.
Said Dooley campaign treasurer John Temporiti (a local lawyer and former chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party): "Rex is passionate on a number of topics. Paramount is education. He feels that Charlie is sympathetic to several of his causes."
A spokeswoman for Sinquefield said that he and his wife, Jeanne Sinquefield, "financially contribute to candidates who have a history of supporting those issues they care about."
Education, she agreed, was one of the reasons for their support of Dooley. However, spokeswoman Laura Slay made clear that "Rex and Jeanne have never, as a practice, formally endorsed a candidate" and don't plan to do so.
So far, the Sinquefields have not donated to Corrigan, and there has been "no discussion'' about whether to do so, Slay said.
The Sinqefields have swiftly become among Missouri's most generous political donors since they moved back to the state a few years ago. The couple has donated to Republicans and Democrats.
Rex Sinquefield, a semi-retired successful financier, grew up in St. Louis, spending six years in St. Vincent's orphanage. He is a major donor to various educational programs and runs a chess center in the Central West End.
